The Diplomat: South China Sea Code of Conduct

ASEAN foreign ministers and China have developed a draft negotiating text for code of conduct in the South China Sea. Singapore, as chairman of ASEAN for the upcoming year, led the effort. The draft will be the basis of future negotiations. Those negotiations have been underway since 1995. Points of disagreements since 2000 include geographic scope and construction restrictions. Carl Thayer, writing for the Diplomat, characterizes the negotiations around the code of conduct as between China and 10 individual member states rather than ASEAN. He adds that consensus has not been reached. The document that could lead to a code of conduct calls for cooperation in marine environmental protection, scientific research, navigation safety and communication, search and rescue operations, and combatting crime. Thayer concludes that Singapore has led in encouraging the ASEAN member states and China to set a timeline for completing a draft negotiating text for code of conduct in the South China Sea. – YaleGlobal